work in progress. He didn’t beat himself up for his imperfections, nor did he gloat in his successes. The sum of everything to Paul was Christ Who was by faith sanctifying him and Who would one day perfect him (Galatians 2:20). So his focus was not on perfecting himself but on the God Who would eventually perfect him. By the end of this year of service to the Lord, hopefully he could look back and see how God had conformed his heart and mind to be more in line with the character and mind of Christ.
Paul emphasizes forgetting what was behind. He is not saying to forget all things past, for we are to remember the sacrifice of our Lord and how God has worked in the Scriptures, even meditating upon them. In his letters, Paul references the past many times, particularly as he shares his own conversion experience. Paul’s point is not to forget the past altogether but to stop dwelling on past sin, defeat, and failures.
We must make an intentional choice to leave the garbage and disappointments behind, for they can single-handedly cripple us from effective service and ministry. We are to fix our eyes on Christ, the author and perfecter
